Retouching apparatus



y .946. E. L. JOHNSON RETOUGHING APPARATUS Filed April 15, 1944 mi. cf

i J? v 5 m WW J Patented July 16, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICERETOUCHING APPARATUS Everard L. Johnson, Patchogue, N. Y. ApplicationApril 15, 1944, Serial No. 531,279

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for use in retouching photographnegatives or positives. More particularly, the invention relates to anapparatus of this kind wherein a single unit is employed having meansplacing not only the vibrator mechanism of the apparatus, but also thenegative lighting means in communication with a single source ofelectric supply. Further, the invention comprises the use of a shoe:absorbing flexible medium for placing the retoucl'iing implement inoperative engagement with the vibratory arm of an impulse relay, wherebyvibrations in the neighborhood of thirty-five hundred per minute may betransmitted to the retouching tool or implement for transmission to thework sheet in a very delicate manner, and still further in the provisionof means for adjustably controlling the vibratory impulses of the relayor vibratory arm. The novel features of the invention will be bestunderstood from the following description when taken together with theaccompanying drawing in which certain embodiments of the invention aredisclosed, and in which the separate parts are designated by suitablereference characters in each of the views; and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View diagrammatically illustrating a use of theapparatus.

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1,showing only the vibrator device including its base, with part of thecase of the apparatus in section.

Fig. 3 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 3 of Fig. 2, alsoshowing the case in section; and

Fig. 4 is a diagram of the wiring in the plug socket.

In the art of photography, retouching has, for the most part, beenperformed by highly skills: retcuchers. Primarily in professionalphotography and in portrait work this has been a highly skilled art,particularly in that good retouching has required more or less the skillof the masters in this art, and has usually been performed by mark orlines carefully drawn and arrange upon the film or negative. In someinstances, this type of Work has been applied directly to the finishedprints.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensiveapparatus by means of which the average amateur photographer can, aftera little training and experience, perform retouching work on negativesor plates equally as good, if not better than the skill of the bestprofessional retoucher, thu giving to the amateur a medium by whichportrait type of photography can be improved in the same manner aspractised by professionals in this art.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing I have diagrammatically shown the use of myimproved apparatus.

In this figure, It represents a suitable frame having a glass or othertransparent panel I therein, masked out to receive a film or plate, aindicated at IE, to render the film or plate transparent or translucentby arranging an electric lamp l3 at the rear of the frame, with thereflector M of the lamp directly behind the film or plate 5 2. Asuitable means will be provided, but is not 5 own, fOr supporting theframe i l in an inclined position, as indicated, so that the hand hi ofan op erator may rest upon the frame in guiding the sharply pointedpencil or other retouching tool or implement it over the surface of theplate or film in doing retouching work.

The tool or implement I6 is detachably supported in a tubular holder H,which may be in the form of a split tube, and secured to this tube isone end |8 of a coiled and preferably cotton wrapped spring IS.

The other end 253 of the spring 59 is adapted. to be clamped in avertical post 2|, by a clamp screw 22. The post 2| is attached to theupper wide and flanged end 23 of the vertical arm 2 of a vibrator towhich the horizontal arm 25 of the vibrator is also attached. The lowerend of the arm 25 terminates in a wide and horizontally arranged baseplate 26 upon which the coil 27 of the electrical magnet is arranged.

Supported on the outer face of the arm 24 is an insulating bearing strip28 against which an adjustment screw 29 is adapted to bear incontrolling the vibrations of said arm. The screw 29 is in threadedengagement with a bearing portion 30 on the cover or case 3! of thevibratory unit, and a lock nut 32 is provided to retain the screw 29 indifferent positions of adjustment. The case is secured to an insulatedbase 33, which is arranged upon and forms part of a Wider base 34, thelatter also forming the support for an electric socket 35 in which wire35 extend to a source of electric supply. The socket 35 is of the typeadapted to receive two outlet plugs 31 and 33, the plug 38 having wires39 extending to the lamp i3, and the plug 31 having wires ii! extendingthrough an insulator 4| in the casing 3| into said casing, and connectedwith the electrical magnet 21.

The pole end 42 of the electrical magnet 2? is arranged upwardly andbeneath the vibratory arm 25 and on the free end of this arm is anadjustable balance weight 43 movable along the arm to control andminimize the vibrations of the arm.

The post 2| extend upwardly through an elongated aperture 44 in the topof the case 3| to provide for free vibration or oscillation of the postin the high speed vibration of the arm 25.

In the construction shown, a flexible connection is established betweenth post 2| and implement l6 by way of the coil spring previouslydescribed, but any suitable flexible transmitter of this type and kindcan be used, provided sufficient rigidity is employed in this flexibleelement to transmit the vibrations to the implement, while at the sametime softening or minimizing the shock of the impulse so as to produceat the end of the implement what might be termed delicate vibratorimpulses which would produce on the resulting film or plate a series offine dots in movement of the implement over a section or area to beretouched.

The base 34 is arranged upon a cushioning pad 45 of rubber or similarmaterial in order to cushion the vibratory action of the device as awhole.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing is shown diagrammatically the wiring of thesocket 35. In this diagram :6 and ll represent one pair of springcontacts which receive the plug which extends to the lampdiagrammatically at 8, and which is arranged in the reflector it. At Giland 5d are shown the other pair of contacts with which the plug 31couples to extend to the Wires ii]. The wires 36 from a source ofelectric supply are coupled with the contact 6'5 and the contact 50,whereas the contacts 56 and 49 are bridged by the connector 59. It willthus be seen that the circuit passes through the bulb 48. The wattage ofthis bulb would produce the required resistance for proper operation ofthe vibrator unit, a hundred to a hundred and fifty watt light lamp bulbcan be used.

In the use of the apparatus or device, the primary skill to be obtainedby the user, is in the light grasping or support of the implement in thehand, and in rendering the hand free for transmission of the impulsesthrough the implement by simply using the hand as a means to guide theimplement over the surface to be retouched and in gauging or controllingmovement of the implement toward and from the film or plate. The onlyfurther skill required, is to be able to properly guide the implementover the area requiring retouching and to gauge the amount of retouchingat the section or area by repeated passes of the implement thereover inincreasing the shade applied to the area. The operator will also have tojudge adjustment of the screw 29 to govern and regulate the vibratoryaction or the arm 25, and accordingly the impulses transmitted at theoperating end of the implement. In the operation of th retoucher, thecushioning pad 45 also cushions the action of the vibrator so that theimpulses are transmitted only through the vibratory arm and to thetransmitting element H).

In addition to using the apparatus or device as a retoucher, the samemay be used for operating implements of various kinds and classes whereit is desirable to transmit a multiplicity of impulses onto a surface ofan kind or class to mark or characterize the surface in any manner. Itmay be used to apply perforations by using a sharply pointed implement.It may further be used to shade drawings or to apply stippling thereto.

Having fully claim as new and ent is:

1. An apparatus for delivering high frequency impulses to an implementmanually guided over a worksheet, said apparatus comprisin a base, anelectrical magnet on said base, an L-shaped vibrator arm comprising anupstanding part on the base, a horizontal part arranged angularly to thefirst named part, and over one end of said described my invention, whatI desire to secure by Letters Patelectrical magnet, a post on the arm atthe inter" section of said parts, a flexible member having one endsecured to said post, means for supporting an implement in connectionwith the other end of said member whereby high frequency inipulsevibrations of said arm are transmitted to an implement through saidflexible member, and manually adjustable means cooperating with thefirst named part of said arm for controlling the vibration properties ofsaid arm.

2. An apparatus for delivering high frequency impulses to an implementmanually guided over a worksheet, said apparatus comprising a base, anelectrical magnet on said base, an L-shaped vibrator arm comprising anupstanding part on the base, a horizontal part arranged angularly to thefirst named part, and over one end of said electrical magnet, a post onthe arm at the intersection of said parts, a flexible member having oneend secured to said post, means for supporting an implement inconnection with the other end of said member whereb high frequencimpulse vibrations of said arm are transmitted to an implement throughsaid flexible member,

' manually adjustable means cooperating with the first named part ofsaid arm for controlling the vibrator properties of said arm, andadjustable counter-balance mean on the second named part of said arm.

3. An apparatus for delivering high frequency impulses to an implementmanually guided over a worksheet, said apparatus comprising a base, anelectrical magnet on said base, an L-shaped vibrator arm comprising anupstanding part on the base, a horizontal part arranged angularly to thefirst named part, and over one end of said electrical magnet, a post onthe arm at the intersection of said parts, a flexible member having oneend secured to said post, means for supporting an implement inconnection with the other end of said member whereby high frequencyimpulse vibrations of said arm are transmitted to an implement throughsaid flexible member, manually adjustable means cooperating with thefirst named part of said arm for controlling the vibrator properties ofsaid arm, adjustable counterbalance means on the second named part ofsaid arm, and means on the base cushioning the support of the base on asurface.

4. An apparatus for delivering high frequency impulses to an implementmanually guided over a worksheet, said apparatus comprising a base, anelectrical magnet on said base, an I..-shaped vibrator arm comprising anupstanding part on the base, a horizontal part arranged angularly t0 thefirst namedpart, and over one end of said electrical magnet, a post onthe arm at the intersection of said parts, a flexible member having oneend secured to said post, means for supporting an implement inconnection with the other end of said member whereby high frequencyimpulse vibrations of said arm are transmitted to an implement throughsaid flexible member, manually adjustable means cooperating with thefirst named part of said arm for controlling the vibrator properties ofsaid arm, adjustable counter-balance means on the second named part ofsaid arm, means on the base cushioning the support of the base on asurface, and means comprising a two-way electric socket for placing saidmagnet in circuit with a source of electric sup ply and for introducingresistance in said circuit EVERiARD L. JOHNSON.

